Car bomb hits US-Iraqi patrol, killing at least 2 Americans, 3 Iraqis north of Baghdad

Iraq: Car bomb kills 2 Americans, 3 Iraqis

BAGHDAD — A car bomb struck a U.S.-Iraqi military convoy north of Baghdad on Friday, killing at least five people, including two American troops.

Iraqi officials said a suicide attacker hit the patrol of Humvees and Stryker vehicles in the town of Jalula, about 80 miles (125 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, not far from the Iranian border.

American forces responsible for operations in Iraq’s north confirmed the casualties in Diyala province. Names of the casualties were not released, pending notification of family members.

They said three Iraqis, including one police officer, were also killed, and about 22 were wounded in the blast.

A man who was watching the patrol from his doorway when the bomber struck said he believed troops were searching for weapons after a dispute among residents brandishing hand grenades and firearms the previous day.

The man, who gave his name as Abu Kowyan, said the assailant attacked from a nearby alley, ramming his car into the joint patrol as troops were getting out of their vehicles.

He said he counted about seven or eight American soldiers lying on the ground shortly after the blast. The fiery explosion shattered windows in his house 20 yards (meters) away.

Iraqi police, hospital and local officials said the blast killed five Iraqis, including a policeman and a woman, and wounded 14 others. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information.

Conflicting casualty tolls are common in the confusion after an attack.

U.S. forces have largely pulled back from urban areas in Iraq as Iraqis take responsibility for securing their country before a full American withdrawal by the end of next year. The number of Americans dying in Iraq has dropped sharply, but attacks continue.

Friday’s attack raised to at least four the number of American deaths this month, but the two earlier ones were not related to combat, according to an Associated Press tally.

The Jalula bombing was the second deadly attack in Iraq on Friday.

A bomb hidden in a pile of trash exploded at a market in southern Baghdad, killing three people. That explosion, in the capital’s Dora neighborhood, wounded 10 people.

Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi contributed to this report.